Astros vs. Rangers Betting Preview and Pick – August 6th

Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers
Date: Tuesday, August 6th, 8:05 ET
Location: Globe Life Field
TV: BSSW
Money Line: Astros -123/Rangers +104
Total Line: 8

Betting Preview

Here’s our betting preview for the upcoming MLB clash between the Texas Rangers and the Astros on Tuesday, August 6th at Globe Life Field. We provide you with a comprehensive analysis, odds, and predictions to help with your handicapping decision or tail our expert based on the projected lineups and listed starting pitchers.

Betting Odds

At 8:05 PM ET, the Astros and Rangers will face off in an AL West matchup. This one is being played at Globe Life Field in Arlington and has the Astros as the slight money line favorite (-123). The Rangers are +104 on the money line, and the over/under line is currently at 8 runs.

Both of Tuesday’s starting pitchers are looking for a win, as Framber Valdez goes for the Astros and Tyler Mahle for the Rangers. The Astros are 2nd in the AL West, while the Rangers are 3rd, and both teams are on losing streaks.

Astros vs. Rangers Projected Lineup

Straight Up/Over-Under/ Runline Record

Houston Astros: 57-55 SU / OU 44-64 / Runline 55-57
Texas Rangers: 54-59 SU / OU 50-59 / Runline 48-65

It was a low-scoring game in the most recent game of this Rangers vs Astros series. Texas went into the matchup as slight favorites at -113 and squeaked out a 4-3 win. Both teams scored one run in the first inning, and the Astros could only muster one more run in the 8th inning. As for the Rangers, they scored the game’s go-ahead run in the 5th, and both offenses went silent after that.

Andrew Heaney got the win for the Rangers, going six innings and giving up just one run. He finished the game with four strikeouts but issued a pair of walks. As for the Astros, Hunter Brown gave up just one earned run in six innings of work. He struck out four but walked two.

Josh Smith and Corey Seager each homered for the Rangers, while Alex Bregman went deep for the Astros. Smith, Seager, and Smith each had two RBIs.

Astros Records & Recent Play

The Astros are 57-55 overall this season, and they are 2nd in the AL West, trailing the Mariners by 1.5 games. Houston will take on the Rangers today on the road, having dropped three straight games overall. These three losses have come by losing the first two games of this series vs. the Rangers.

At home, the Astros are 32-26 this season and have gone 25-29 on the road. As the favorite, the Astros are 43-39 this year and 14-16 as the underdog. Looking at their overall series record, the Astros are 19-16 but have dropped two straight series.

When the Astros are on the road, they are just a tick above .500 against the run line at 28-26. They have covered the run line in two straight road games and are 19-11 against the run line when they are the underdog. Houston’s average run margin in all games is +0.4, but it jumps to +0.9 at home.

When the Astros play on the road, the over/under line is set at 8 runs, which is below their season average of 8.7 runs per game. Houston has played to the under in 64 of their 108 games this season, including four straight games under the total.

Rangers Records & Recent Play

Texas is 54-59 overall and 5.0 games behind the Mariners for the AL West lead. So far, they are 14-16 against other teams in the AL West. The Rangers have dropped four straight games as the underdog and are just 18-31 as the underdog overall.

At home, the Rangers are 31-25 compared to 23-34 on the road. Texas’ overall series record is 15-20, and they have dropped three straight series. Currently, they are 3-7 over their last 10 games.

When it comes to betting the run line with the Texas Rangers, it’s been a losing proposition this season. They have a run line record of 48-65, and they are 24-32 against the run line at home. Their average run margin for the season is -0.2, but it’s been better at home, where they have a +0.6 run differential. They are 26-23 against the run line as an underdog this season.

The Texas Rangers are playing at home against the Houston Astros today. The O/U line for the game is set at 8 runs. The combined run average for Rangers games this season is 8.6 runs per game. Overall, the O/U record for Texas this season is 50-59, and the average O/U line for their games is 8 runs. When the line has been set at 8 runs, the O/U record for the Rangers is 8-12-2. The majority of their games this season have had O/U lines set higher than 8 runs, with 74 of their games (65.5%) having higher lines, while only 17 games (15.0%) have had lower lines.

Pitching Matchup

Framber Valdez gets the start for the Astros today as he faces the Rangers on the road. He has made 19 starts this year and has a record of 10-5 with a 3.56 ERA. Valdez’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.25. In his last outing, he gave up four earned runs in six innings of work but still came away with the win. Before that, he had not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his previous three outings. Valdez has turned in 11 quality starts this year and is averaging 8.36 strikeouts per nine innings.

Getting the start for the Rangers is right-hander Tyler Mahle. In his five starts last season, Mahle went 1-2 with an ERA of 3.16. He allowed five home runs and finished with a WHIP of 1.05. His FIP for the season was 4.19, and he finished with one quality start. Mahle’s strikeouts per nine innings was 9.82, while his walks per nine was 1.75. For the season, Mahle averaged one walk per game.

Astros vs. Rangers Offense Outlook

Yordan Alvarez has been a great power threat for the Astros this season, as his 20 homers are 11th in the league and the best mark on the team. Alvarez is also 2nd on the team in RBIs, with 55. Catcher Yainer Diaz has been a nice surprise for the Astros so far, as he is batting .295 for the season and leads the team with 59 RBIs. Diaz has also been hot of late, going 11/30 in his last eight games.

As a team, the Astros are averaging 4.5 runs per game and are one of the league’s top home run hitting clubs. Overall, they are batting .258, which is the 2nd best mark in the league. Houston’s team on-base percentage is 9th in the league, and they are 10th in slugging.

Corey Seager has been swinging a hot bat for the Rangers, going 12/37 in his last nine games with four homers and six RBIs. Seager’s 23 homers this season is 8th best in the league and leads the Rangers. Overall, he is batting .277. Marcus Semien has also been a solid power threat for the Rangers, as he is 3rd on the team with 16 homers and has driven in 56 runs, which is the best mark on the team.

As a team, the Rangers are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 16th in the league. They have been a below-average team in terms of batting average, on-base percentage, and OPS. Texas is also just 18th in slugging percentage and have a collective isolated power mark of .144, which is 18th in the league.

Free Astros vs. Rangers MLB Pick

The last time the Astros and Rangers met up, they played a four-game series, and just one of the four games had more combined runs than today’s over/under line of 8 runs. I’m playing the trend on this one and recommend taking the under. If you’re looking for a money line pick as well, I’d back the Astros with Framber Valdez on the mound.